Maggie Gordon, Staff Writer

Updated 10:13 am, Wednesday, August 31, 2011

STAMFORD -- The fireworks scheduled for Thursday night at Kosciuszko Park have been canceled, Mayor Michael Pavia announced Tuesday evening.

"We have decided that with the level of damage and the extent of issues we have to deal with, to continue to ensure the safety and well-being of the public, the fireworks are canceled," Pavia said. The city is still working to recover after being slammed by Tropical Storm Irene on Sunday morning, leaving half the city without power, and roads littered with branches and downed wires.

The pyrotechnic extravaganza, dubbed Stamford Celebrates, was to be financed through private donations from Harbor Point Development, the development company revitalizing the city's South End with 4,000 new units of housing and 1 million square feet of office and retail space, and the local website itsrelevant.com.

While fireworks used to be an annual treat for Stamford residents around the Fourth of July, Stamford has canceled the event for the last two consecutive years due to budget constraints.

"This week's fireworks are canceled with the asterisk that we believe it will be rescheduled for sometime in the future," said Pavia, who previously said he hoped the September spectacular would be the beginning of annual fireworks in Stamford again.

"I think we're looking at doing something in 2012. Now that we have a major sponsor for the fireworks, we can hopefully connect with other sponsors and have a really spectacular event," he said.

Harbor Point and itsrelevant.com had previously pledged to cover the cost of the fireworks themselves as well as transportation. Some police and fire services would also be required for the event, Pavia said earlier this month when he announced the event.

Pavia also announced Tuesday the shelter at Stamford High School, which provided a safe place for 68 people during the height of this past weekend's storm, has been closed. In addition, he also announced that Connecticut Light & Power has made significant progress in restoring power to Stamford residents.

"We started with something like 50,000 customers without power, and now we're down to 9,700, which is a good thing," Pavia said. As of 6 p.m. Monday, CL&P reported that a total of 9,088 Stamford customers were still without power.

"CL&P has also promised that further and more substantial improvements will be made in the next 24 hours," Pavia said.

Staff writer Maggie Gordon can be reached at maggie.gordon@scni.com or 203-964-2229.